Adv Mater. 2026 May 30:e73590. doi: 10.1002/adma.73590. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Carbon-based aqueous zinc-ion batteries (CAZBs) require stable operation under extremely low temperatures for practical applications, but they are hindered by sluggish Zn2 + transport within the diffusion layer and desolvation barriers in the Helmholtz layer. Here, a bio-inspired interface engineering strategy-derived from the high-volume, high-speed, and high-efficiency signal processing capability of the cerebral cortex-is employed to construct hierarchical carbon spheres with sulcus-gyrus architectures (HCSs-sg). Such HCSs-sg can effectively imitate the dense neuron distribution in the cerebral cortex and lead to a sharp increase in pseudocapacitive active sites. This biomimetic configuration generates directional micro-electric fields and ionic concentration gradients, which synergistically accelerate Zn2 + transport through diffusion-driven migration and coulombic forces. Simultaneously, the high-curvature sulcus-gyrus exhibits enhanced Zn2 + adsorption energy and reduced desolvation barriers, thereby facilitating efficient desolvation and rapid charge transfer at subzero temperatures. As a result, the optimized product delivers a specific capacity of 70 mAh g– 1 at 0.1 A g– 1 under -25°C and maintains a stable coulombic efficiency of nearly 100% over 10 000 cycles at 1 A g– 1. This biomimetic interface engineering approach can provide a potential design route for aqueous battery applications under extreme-temperature conditions.
PMID:42216913 | DOI:10.1002/adma.73590